SWN Meets… Leyton Buzzard

Photo credit David J Wilson

Oh hey, didn’t see you there. Welcome to another interview on Scottish Wrestling Network. Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with the now former intern of Joe Hendry and sworn enemy of Kieran Kelly, it’s “The Prodigy” Leyton Buzzard!

Some basic questions to kick things off – what was it that initially brought you into professional wrestling?

My brother first showed me wrestling on the TV when I was 6 or 7. I remember seeing The Undertaker and my brother said no one ever beats The Undertaker, I was hooked there and carried on watching to see if anyone ever did.

Who were your favourites growing up, and who are your favourites now?

When I was really young it was always Rey Mysterio. In the land of the giants, it was amazing to see and made me believe I could do it as I was a really small kid, and I really loved the high flying style. As I grew up more I started to love Chris Jericho, Edge, and RVD then later on CM Punk.

What was it that originally made you want to decide to become a wrestler?

I always knew it was what I wanted to do, I just didn’t think it was possible. I really wanted to be Spaceman too but didn’t think it would actually happen. Then as I got older I started to get into ROH, TNA, and Japanese wrestling and started to realise wrestling was more than just WWE. Then as I started to get into the British scene I started to realise maybe this was actually something I could do, and I found out about GPWA from an advert on the ICW site.

Seeing as you’re originally from England, what was it that made you choose the Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum as the place you wanted to train at?

I became a fan of ICW after watching the Insane Fight Clubs and The British Wrestler. I knew I wanted to wrestle for ICW and the best way to do that was to train at GPWA so I moved to Glasgow when I was 18.

In the middle of 2017, you were brought you into ICW as the new intern of Joe Hendry, an alliance that lasted until just recently. How much did you enjoy this opportunity?

Working alongside Joe was amazing and I loved every minute of it, until recently obviously, a lot’s changed now.

The alliance with Joe has allowed you to be at ringside for matches featuring the likes of Mikey Whiplash, Jody Fleisch, and Bram. Did you find this daunting at all, coming in as the newbie alongside these established veterans?

It was at first, I’d only been training for a year and I’d been given this massive opportunity, but I saw it as a way to learn I got to watch every one of Joe’s matches, and learn from him and his opponents.

In early 2018, you were a side character in the longest match in pro wrestling history between Joe and Chris Renfrew, a rivalry that saw the rivalry between yourself and Kieran Kelly come to a head. How much fun did you have with this 76 day match?

The longest match of all time was huge for me, it’s where I felt I came into my own as a character and I got to showcase all these crazy ideas I had. The concert segment I felt was what got people invested in me because I was just being myself and people could see that. It’s also where I first started my rivalry with Kieran Kelly and those matches where I started to gain confidence as a wrestler, they’re still my favourite matches I’ve had.

When you’re not in ICW, you’re wearing headbands and doing all manner of flips in and out of the ring, including a spectacular 450 splash. Do you enjoy having the chance to perform under this guise as opposed to being by Joe’s side all the time?

Yeah, it’s great to be able to show a different side to me. I love working on family shows as they’re a completely different buzz to ICW but it’s great to see the kids enjoying themselves and cheering or booing you. Getting to work with PBW and SWA this year has been amazing and I’ve worked with PWE for over a year now. You learn to work with the crowd and really get to hone your craft.

Who would you say have been your biggest influences in your career so far?

Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and big Drew Mcintyre. Watching Mysterio made me realise you don’t have to be 6ft4 and 250lbs to do this, and seeing Jericho constantly evolve his character and be able to reinvent himself time and time again, he made me fall in love with the sports entertainment side of things. I first saw Drew in WWE when I was 11 or so and remember thinking it’s amazing he’s from Scotland, a few hours away from me and he’s The Chosen One in WWE wrestling The Undertaker and winning the IC title. It was amazing to follow his career and see him evolve into the superstar he is today. I might be from England but I consider myself a Scottish Wrestler and I think Drew’s been an inspiration and influence for every Scottish wrestler.

You’re set to head off to Germany for a week to train at the wXw Academy. How much are you looking forward to getting to train at one of the finest European wrestling facilities?

I think your number one priority as a new wrestler should always be to kep getting better, and this means training at the best schools and learning from as many people as you can. wXw is one of the biggest promotions in Europe and some of the best talent in the world have trained there so for me, it was a no brainer. They’ve got an incredible coaching team and I’m looking forward to learning from them.

Who would be your all-time dream opponent, past or present?

Hulk Hogan, you don’t get any bigger than that.

What are your career goals for the remainder of 2019?

I’d love to wrestle in Ireland and hopefully in Europe as well. I’ve got a match against Kieran Kelly for the SWA X Title on May 31st in Paisley so winning my first title is definitely be a goal too.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

I hope to be living, training, and wrestling in Japan. That’s really my long term goal, I feel like that’s where the best wrestling in the world is and if I want to be the best it’s where I have to go.